If Kevin Phillips thought he was unpopular in the summer when he left West Bromwich Albion to join Birmingham City, it is nothing compared to the disdain he provokes among Sheffield Wednesday fans.

Phillips headed home an injury-time cross from Scott Sinclair to help City close the gap on Reading to two points for an automatic promotion place, and the goal also maintained his remarkable record against Wednesday.

It was the striker's fourth in as many meetings and his seventh in his last nine against Wednesday, and to make matters worse his finish was also a copy of the late equaliser he grabbed for Albion last season.

Phillips will be 36 in July – it is safe to say he should not keep his eye out for a card with either a Hawthorns or Hillsborough postmark – not that he is bothered. "Someone pointed out to me that that is something like six in seven against them but I didn't know that," he said after registering his 12th of the season.

"I will take a goal against any team, it's just fortunate for me that I've scored a few against them."

This was a game practically devoid of talking points and the fact that it was almost won by Wednesday's right-back Lewis Buxton, scoring for only the second time in his career, demonstrates better than any other statistic just how lethargic both teams were in the penalty areas.

Phillips was extremely quiet, moreover, and the manager Alex McLeish admitted he had toyed with the idea of substituting him but thought better of the idea to trust the former England forward's knack of showing up at the right time and in the right place. "When you are chasing the game, you can't take Phillips off," he said. "You know that if you get a chance and it is likely to fall to anybody it is going to be Phillips because of his instincts in the box. He has been the scourge of Sheffield so far this season because he also scored against United on the first day."

A Lee Bowyer header impressively clawed away by Wednesday's goalkeeper Lee Grant offered a spark of life to an otherwise comatose first half and the second period followed in the same manner until Buxton headed past Maik Taylor just before the hour mark.

City appeared to be returning to the Midlands with nothing until Phillips finally wriggled free of the attention of the outstanding Mark Beevers to put away his solitary opportunity.

"I hate him," Wednesday's manager Brian Laws joked afterwards. "It is always him. I just don't want our supporters going away talking about nothing but just that last minute. The fact we are disappointed having drawn against a team of their quality is a good thing."